Proper back-up planning needed for Dublin transport- Humphreys

Labour Transport spokesperson, Dublin Senator Kevin Humphreys, has expressed concern over reports that disruption to Luas services caused by Hurricane Ophelia was exacerbated due to the co-location of the control room and back-up facility at the same site.

The light rail service only resumed last night due to storm damage at the Red Cow depot, where the back-up facility is also located.

Senator Humphreys said:

“It seems that Hurricane Ophelia has exposed an issue regarding ‘plan B’ for Luas services if reports in today’s Irish Independent are anything to go by.

“While the damage caused by the storm was clearly an unforeseen event, it does raise questions as to why a critical back-up control centre would be located at the same site as the primary network; this is just poor planning.

“As we saw this week, this co-location means that any damage to the Red Cow depot also makes the support system vulnerable, and had it been located elsewhere, services would likely have been back up and running much sooner.

“The Luas provides a vital service to around 90 thousand passengers across Dublin, many of whom rely on it to get to work in the city and surrounding suburbs every day, or take their children to school or attend hospital appointments at Tallaght for example.

“If Dublin is to compete as an international hub particularly post-Brexit, we need to ensure our public transport system is able to cope with any sudden and unforeseen events, which also means ensuring ‘plan B’ is up to scratch.”